1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for producing electrolytic water and a process for producing electrolytic water using the device. The electrolytic water thus produced can be used for drinking, sterilization, disinfection and an astringent.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electrolysis of water is one of electrochemical phenomena, which causes change in water properties, provides a novel chemical substance and/or generates different electrolysis products in an anode and a cathode sides. Since electrolysis phenomenon can be quantitatively handled, it has been industrially utilized in various applications.
Cathodic electrolytic water generated by electrolysis of water is used for drinking, while anodic electrolytic water is used for, e.g., an astringent.
There has been established a technique that tap water is directly electrolyzed to continuously get cathodic electrolytic water. A device for producing electrolytic water utilizing the technique has been also commercially available in a general market, and has been commonly used in ordinary homes.
In this flow type device for producing electrolytic water, tap water is pre-purified by a filter using an adsorption medium such as activated charcoal, and then the purified tap water is continuously fed to an electrolytic cell, where electrolytic water is continuously produced. For improving production performance for electrolytic water, the electrolytic cell is typically composed of a plurality of parallel electrolysis chambers, each of which comprises a cathode and an anode separated from each other by a septum.
Of these devices for continuously producing electrolytic water, there is a special device without a septum. In such a device for producing electrolytic water, an electrolysis chamber is designed such that an aqueous electrolyte solution flows as a laminar flow along electrodes to prevent cathodic electrolytic water from being mixed with anodic electrolytic water.
A batch type device for producing electrolytic water comprising an anode and a cathode chambers is also widely known.
There have been recently developed techniques that anodic electrolytic water is utilized for sterilization or disinfection, which is produced by intensely electrolyzing water while adding an electrolyte including sodium chloride as an electrolysis aid to the device for producing electrolytic water.
All of the techniques separately remove anodic and cathodic electrolytic waters generated in the device for producing electrolytic water and utilize these waters to a variety of applications.
Such a device for producing electrolytic water, however, does not necessarily meet individual's needs due to its larger size or higher price.